Suspect in custody after opening fire on Tuckerton, New Jersey officer
TUCKERTON, New Jersey (WPVI) -- The suspect who opened fire on an officer in Tuckerton, New Jersey on Thursday has been taken into custody, according to Ocean County authorities.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, around 10 a.m., a Tuckerton Borough police officer exchanged gunfire with Miguel Angel Villegas, 29, of New Haven, Connecticut, after a traffic stop near the intersection of Route 9 and North Green Street. The officer was not injured.
After the shooting, police said Villegas fled the area on a tricycle, which was later recovered a half-mile from the shooting scene.
He was taken into custody shortly after 8 p.m. at Penn Station in New York City.
A witness told Action News, "I heard as I was walking over there, 'That driver of the car is crazed.' Then I heard the policeman say to the driver, 'Put your hand on the hood of the car.' He said it like three times to the driver. And the next thing I know I hear gunshots coming from the driver. I fell down on the ground when I heard the gunshots."
Chopper 6 was over the scene where there was a large gathering of armed officers.
The shooting forced both Tuckerton and Little Egg Harbor Township schools to go into lockdown for several hours. Students were eventually dismissed.
Villegas has been charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose.
Prosecutors said he was wanted in Connecticut.
